A Perfect Pittsburgh Wedding!

Happy Hump Day, ya’ll. How were your 4ths?! If you have a link to a post about your celebrations feel free to leave it in the comments 🙂 I’d love to hear what you all were up to! Mine was super laid back because this past weekend was busy as could be, and I was running on no sleep. Hence I dreamt of all things vegan bratwurst and fireworks as I slept a majority of the day away. DJ had to work all day anyway, so it worked out well.

I am stoked to share about the epic wedding this past weekend!

On Thursday morning I quickly packed for my flight. I never pack the day of, but since I worked nearly four twelve-hour shifts in a row leading up to it, the last thing I wanted to do when I came home on Wednesday night was pack. I Ubered to the airport and had the most phenomenal discussion with my Uber driver. She gave me such great encouragement and actually we talked about the blog a bit. I gave her my blog name, so if she happens to read this I send her a big hello and thank you for her sweet conversation.

I took an American Airlines flight from SF to Chicago to Pittsburgh. My first flight, the long one, had selections for movies still in theaters! I was surprised! What are some of your favorite airlines?! I was thoroughly impressed with American.

I didn’t end up watching the movies, but took that time to type away for my last blog post. It was the definition of therapeutic. So needed. As soon as I pressed that “publish” button I felt like I could take a deep breath. It was metaphorically, yet tangibly, cathartic to just get it all out. It was as though I untethered the shackles of difficult moments and trials from mind, and grasped ahold of them- drowning them in truth and light.

It’s weird, but only when I travel do I really crave pop (or soda, if you aren’t from the midwest). I even received a whole can– wooohooo. American Airlines stepping up the game. What is your go-to flying beverage of choice?

The family I sat next to were headed to Sutton’s Bay and Traverse City from Sydney, Australia. Small world! I gushed about my love for the quaint city and gave them a mile long list of fantastic restaurants, highly suggested Bardon’s epic ice cream shop, and emphasized the need to go to the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Their little girl fell asleep on my shoulder at one point, so precious.

I lucked out and was assigned the window seat. However, I did have to monitor my fluid intake, otherwise I would be getting up to go to the bathroom every five seconds per usual. Road trips can be a bit of a pain with me because I tend to chug water on the heels of my morning joes. Zero chill.

I barely made my second flight because our first one took off late. I also misread the SUPER confusing signs to my gate and ended up having to go through security again. I was definitely that person- sprinting through the airport with bags flying and a crazed look on my face. But I made it. I even had a few moments to scarf down my airport sushi just in time to board– hoooolllllaaaa.

On my second flight I sat next to a Russian man who is an expert in acarology (the study of mites). He was giving a lecture at OSU about it. Pretty quickly into our conversation he asked me, “Are you afraid of death?”. I was taken aback but it led to some interesting conversation.

I Ubered from the airport to the hotel. It was about a forty minute drive. I spent the entire forty minutes chatting with a die-hard Pittsburghian about the day in the life. If anyone wants to be convinced by someone that Pittsburgh is the best city to have ever existed in all of history and all time to come, this is your guy.

I arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cranberry at about 2 am. It was a very nice Hilton! I highly recommend staying here if you need a reasonably priced place to stay in Pittsburgh.

I couldn’t sleep one wink on Thursday night. Actually, that’s a lie. I fell asleep around 5 am and slept until 6 am until my neighbor decided to blow dry her hair. I couldn’t fall back asleep. I chugged a cup of coffee & decided to run to try to wake up my body. Also, does anyone else just love hotel coffee? I swear there is something about it that just makes me giddy (and not just from the caffeine). Maybe it’s just the adrenaline of travel that is associated with it and the good times that leave a great taste in the mouth.

I then headed to the venue at Freedom Farms to help the rest of the girls set up for the wedding. I was stoked to see Lyndsay, the bride to be! She is one of my dearest friends since middle school. We attended youth group together all the way through high school. We have literally been through it all together from sharing countless laughs, tears, navigating boys (oh boy), going on trips in the US to the Dominican Republic together, growing in our faith, eating absurd portions of pineapple pizza at the pool in the summer, strumming our guitars in worship and just in our spare time, splitting a dozen donuts in one sitting at a dive in Indiana, cheering each other on in track meets even though we were competing schools, getting ready for a plethora of church events and getaways, and she was even the one who sat with me in silence after my dad passed away, my deepest heartbreak. She is as loyal as they come and has always been a role model of mine. I love her deeper than just a friend, she is a sister to me.

We were just missing our Clair, our good friend who is having a baby and was due on Lyndsay’s actual wedding day! The babe still hasn’t came, but literally ANY second now. Eeek!

Here is a little walk down memory lane….

I was honored she asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I was beyond thankful (and shocked) that I could make it. I also haven’t seen her since my own wedding– two years ago! The reunion was quite special. I quickly got to know the other amazing girls in her bridal party and exchanged hugs with her family. They were like a second family to me growing up. I and my dear friend, Sarah, arranged the bouquets for some of the tables. I loved doing this. In another life I’d like to be a florist.

The venue was incredible. I wish I had taken more pictures, but we were busy bees getting ready for the big day and just soaking up the precious moments! If you live in Pittsburgh and are looking for that rustic, yet elegant, venue- THIS IS YOUR PLACE. It was straight out of a fairytale.

All of the creative touches actually outdid Pinterest. Lyndsay ironically was the first person who I ever heard about Pinterest from! Ahh, to think back to when we both started planning our weddings all those years ago.

Below is a picture of all the bridesmaids & Lynds (in white). I think this picture sums us up way better than the more normal ones we took 😉 Gosh, it was the best bunch of ladies.

The rehearsal dinner was in-cred-ible. She served Greek food with wide arrange of marinated olives, hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli, pita, lamb, chicken, feta, dolmas, rice, and finished off with the best greek desserts ever (naturally I tried them all- the baklava was baklavamazing).

I scarfed it all down before I could grab a picture. Once I finished the food I decided I needed to find out where this was catered from. Lyndsay said it was actually her good friends, a life mentor, (with no Greek heritage), who cooked the food. I was blown away. I found the lady and by occupation she is a physician’s assistant. She said she just grew an interest in Greek food and was determined to learn how to cook it. We chatted for a while about cooking (she’s my new inspiration) and about medicine. In a little over twenty four hours I had met a diverse number of new, unique, and wonderful people.

Friday night we headed to Lyndsay’s to do nails and spend some last minute reminiscing before she took the plunge into wedded bliss. Ugh, I love her so much.

Saturday morning we went to the hair salon to get that hair did. It all went smoothly and was a blast! We were in and out in about less than hour. CRAZY!

Lyndsay was nothing short of perfect for her day, inside and out.

This is Sarah’s hair- It looked identical to the picture she showed it was nuts! I had to take a picture.

This was my up-do. I did a braid into a low bun.

Mimosa time!

We all did our makeup together at the hotel and then packed up to go to the venue. Things were getting REAL!

I am obsessed with this photo below because this is just Lyndsay: All dressed up and effortlessly gorgeous with her yoga mat and Nalgene bottle in hand. She literally drank from the Nalgene at the venue all night. I love how true to herself she is in any situation. It’s always been something I’ve admired about her.

Even the ride to the venue was such a blast.

We made it!

We took all our pictures with the party which may have included chasing a chicken, but we did not catch it, unfortunately. We also all gathered before the wedding to witness the magical first look! It was the type of first look that didn’t leave a dry eye to anyone who witnessed it. The day emulated the beauty of the union- it was supposed to rain, but the rain held off and the sun made it’s presence known, wrapping each guest with the warmth and glow that radiated from the love of the couple.

Here is a picture of the bridesmaid’s bouquets! Stunning, right?!

The ceremony was the most Christ-centered, loving, sweet, and beautiful wedding I think I’ve ever been to. The message from the pastor (Lyndsay’s father) resonated with me big time. The way Joseph looked at Lyndsay melted all of our hearts. The whole day was PERFECT. I know I have used that word far too much, but seriously- there is no other way to describe it.

Reuniting with friends I haven’t seen in forever was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I missed these people beyond words. Seeing them all made my heart so happy. <3

**CUE THE TEARS**

For dinner there was burrito bar. YUUUUMMMM.

They are the stinking cutest that ever was.

And the rest of the night was followed by dancing our tails off.

At the very end of the night, all us bridesmaids and Lynds had an impromptu dance to “Marry You” right before the sparkler send off. As cliche as it may sound, it was seriously a cinematic movie moment, and I can’t imagine a better way to send off my best friend, my sister, into her next stage of life.

That night I left for the airport around 3 am. Needless to say I slept every minute on each flight on the way back. When I arrived around 10 am (SF time), DJ picked me up. I went back home to sleep, but in the afternoon we went to Bill’s to have a nice breakfast together.

It was a quintessentially perfect wedding weekend that I felt blessed to be a part of. Joseph and Lyndsay are a tremendous couple that already are changing and inspiring others’ lives.

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46 thoughts on “A Perfect Pittsburgh Wedding!”

This post made me giddy and a little teary eyed! I’m engaged and so excited to get married and looking at these photos just intensified that feeling. What a beautiful wedding! Your friend looked beautiful, as did all of the bridesmaids. <3 What a wonderful time!

What a fun wedding! I love the theme and all of your hairstyles. I was a pretty shy kid, but I love talking to different people. I love that you struck up awesome conversations all along your travels! That hotel is really cute! Hope you have a great Thursday!

Thanks, Kori! I knew you would love this type of wedding- it has that gorgeous, whimsical feel that yours did (At least that I gathered from pictures!) I am super delayed responding to this after working all weekend, so I hope you had a good thursday too AND a beautiful weekend too 🙂

It was GORGEOUS! I wish I could have taken pictures of the actual ceremony. When she gets her official pictures I’ll have to share some! I’ll pass on the congrats 🙂 Hope you are having an awesome Monday!

Eeek!!! I love weddings so much, just as much as I love, love and people being in love! Let see how many times I can use “love” in one sentence haha Lyndsay is such a beautiful bride and you my dear are a stunning bridesmaid! I love the style of the dress you picked out! It duels as a perfect summer dress too! #win The whole rustic wedding venues are growing on me these days especially for summer weddings, I love the outdoorsy decor a lot! I might have to consider that for my sunflower themed nonexistent (yet) wedding 🙂 The pictures down memory lane are so cute. I love seeing oldies but goodies! Around how old were you guys in those?
For airlines, I have say JetBlue is my favorite although their prices are not my favorite ha needless to say I’ve only flown with them a few times. But when I was flying to CA, I did American (and United) but I must say I was pretty impressed too!!
Have a good rest of the week love <3

Haha- we are SO similar in our love for weddings! It’s so funny because in Ohio/midwest area I feel like the only types of weddings are the rustic ones of late ( I thouuught I was doing something unique, but realized I was being just as basic as ever haha). And OH MY WORD!!! Sunflowers with the elegant, whimsical, rustic mix would be GORG. I’m gonna literally pee my pants when you guys get engaged. And holy moses you will be the most beautiful bride! Ugh, I’m getting way too excited over here. The pictures are from middle school (8th grade-ish) through Senior year in high school! Ohhh yes, Jet Blue! I have heard amazing things, but have never flown. I love their Christmas commercials though, hahah. Have such a good week, JJ!

Omg it really sounds like everything was perfect. From the moment you left until the end of the wedding it all sounds fantastic. So glad you were able to make it to your bff’s wedding, and of course everyone looked stunning!
And what a beautiful venue!!

I love it! You’re an inspiration to make the most out of life. You and my other nursing friend, (Adri) if she follows you, are the busiest humans! But you are fulfillingly busy. (The red squiggle tells me fulfillingly isn’t a word but I’M the English teacher here!) 😉

Beautiful wedding. I love the leaf, lemon, berry thing centerpieces. And the hair and tablecloths to match. She won me over and I’m not even a fan of the color green. But she did it with style! I’m impressed.

Oh my goooooodnessssss. You are so kind. I used to not embrace life at all- battling depression a good deal of my high school/into college years. I just did not have a good outlook on life. It still is something I have to force myself to do, but the move last year woke me up and I said I have to learn to seek out adventure. Each day is such a gift! And I totally would have thought fulfillingly was a word?! Yep, there is the red squiggle. Lol! I agree about the green! I wasn’t sure how it was going to all come together, but she nailed it! Super unique and beautiful. I will pass on the blessings to her too 🙂 Sending you big hugs!

Thank you SO much, Jen! I was thankful to have the chance to get away for even a couple days! And thank YOU for sharing in this with me <3 Hope you have had the best Monday. I know you always make them awesome 🙂

Thank you, love! It was so needed- getting away like that with some of my greatest friends. I agree- taking time to look back on some fun times does something good for the soul! Hope you are having a great start to the week 🙂

Hi Mackensie, I know what it is like last minute packing! I try not to do it though, but you had a good reason. Its great you connected with your uber driver, but with your bubbly personality I see why it is so easy! I like American but also sun country. It is great you caught up on posting , I have read that one but not got to commenting yet. I like coffee, pop or sometimes wine! I am with you on airport sign confusion, been there done that! Its good job you are a runner, came in handy making your second flight. It is always good to have a local taxi driver guide you and give pointers on a new city. the hotel looks so nice. You need to get more sleep Dear! one hour is very short. I am so with you on hotel coffee. I really like to grab it always, I gues s it is adrenaline as you say. Lyndsay sounds like a great friend , going through , all the emotions and then boys! Its nice she was there for you when your Dad passed, even if in silence, it was good you had someone. I LOVE the memory lane pics! You girls look great! You did an awesome job flower arranging Mackensie. What a wonderful group of ladies with the serious poses! The pics of you and Lyndsay are precious for you to have too, That was fun to get your nails done Friday night and to relive the past. It looks like a super fun time getting hair done , yours looks beautiful . The bridemaid bouquet is stunning. I love the pop of colors. What a lovely bride and groom on their wedding day! Reuniting with friends is so important , and as for the tears, let them flow Dear 🙂 hugs, Terri xoxo.

Hi Terri!!!! Ohhhh I have to agree with you on the Wine! If it’s a nice long evening flight that is my go-to for sure! Hahaha, being a runner definitely came in the clutch with the mix up (so glad I’m not alone in that too). I looked ridiculous, but I was so doggone determined not to miss that flight. Thank you for the sweet words about the flowers! It was such a blast. They are such an incredible couple, I was thankful to be able to stand and support them. Awwww, thank you- there were so many happy tears in contrast to the anxious ones I’ve had lately <3 So many many hugs your way! XOX

Woah woah woah – see, what did I say? You are the PRO when it comes to mastering weekends. Seems like it was such a fun-packed weekend. That’s so sweet that you and your childhood friends still keep in touch. The best kind of friends are those who you can simply pick up right where you left off – and it seems like you and Lynds are like that! And no means to turn the spotlight away from the bride, but you looked GORGEOUS Mack – inside and out! It’s been so sweet to see you so happy, supportive (and goofy haha) with your friends. Here’s to another weekend of fun! xoxo, Steph

Oh my goodness, Steph! YOU ARE THE SWEETEST. I feel like I always say this but I mean it 100%- you have made my day!!!! It truly was a weekend of zero sleep (I think I’m still recovering), but I was just so thankful I could go! I send you so much love!!!! XOXO

Aww I always love catching up on your posts (despite the hectic schedule I have as a rising junior with SAT’s and college looming over me haha). Friends over sleep is an option that I choose once in awhile but that I NEVER EVER regret. We’re almost there to the weekend!!! xoxo Steph

Haha I really hope I can make the best out of the present. I keep on looking toward the future but everyone older than me tells me that high school days are the best days when you look back! But someone who’s in high school, that’s hard to believe ha! Xoxo steph

You know, I feel like each stage of life has it’s pros and cons. The whole “best stage of life” thing—– I don’t really believe it! I think I am enjoying this stage way more than college and high school, but everyone is different! But I definitely think it sounds like you are soaking up the present, so good, so important! This blog will be such a gift to you to reflect back on too! you will look back on it all so fondly! <3 XO

Aww that was such a sweet comment! I will definitely be thinking of your words as I grind through junior year. One of my biggest goals for this junior year is really do things that I ENJOY doing such as Avolicious, running, spending time with friends, and such. I’m so glad to hear that you are enjoying this stage in your life! Have a great weekend Mack (although I don’t have to remind you bc you’re already the master of weekends!) xoxo Steph

Aww <3 YES YES YES- you have your priorities straight 100%. I was wayy too consumed by academics, and didn't invest in my social life as much as I wish I had (and just in other things in life in general). You are the sweetest, girlfriend. I hope you had the best weekend yourself, love!

What a beautiful, special wedding! In the best city ever, Pittsburgh! Haha, just kidding! Love the picture of your friend with her yoga mat and water bottle! Too cute. Her dress is gorgeous and the bridesmaids dresses are stunning! Next time you come to Pittsburgh, we need to hang out!! Same thing if I visit Cali 🙂

Thank you, love!!!! No but really- pittsburgh is honestly a really cool place. I feel like everyone is so down to earth too. And isn’t she the cutest?! Ahhh I would LOVE to hangout next time. If I am ever there visiting her again I will let you know 🙂 AND YES- Cali is always here with open arms for ya and I can give you the grand Bay tour!!!!

Wanna open a floral business together?? Arrangements are one of my fav things to do, seriously! I love going to the floral shop, picking out all of the flowers and greenery and then assembling them into cute jars and vases. It’s so therapeutic and I just love fresh flowers! Have you been to the SF Flower Mart yet??